Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and his wife, Stephanie, have added their seven-bedroom Tuxedo Road manse to the growing roster of multimillion-dollar homes on the metro market.

The Blank home, represented by Betsy Akers of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty, went up for sale Thursday morning at a list price of $10.9 million.

William Berry / AJC (ENLARGE)

Add the home of Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and his wife, Stephanie, to the growing list of multimillion-dollar homes on the metro market. Their $10.9 million brick Colonial Revival includes seven full baths, three half baths, a swimming pool and mature four-acre gardens.

AJC (ENLARGE)

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank poses in the home theater.

Built in 1952, the Blanks' brick Colonial Revival home includes seven full baths, three half baths, a swimming pool, four fireplaces, a three-car garage, a two-story foyer, an in-law suite, a media room and a dining room that seats 12.

But the most spectacular feature of the home may be its mature four-acre gardens, including a secluded private Eden behind the house, according to Akers.

Standing beyond the back door of the Blank home, Akers said, "you feel like you're in Europe. It's another world out there."

Arthur Blank bought the 8,225-square-foot home in the spring of 1993 from J. Rex Fuqua for a sale price of $3.38 million, according to Fulton County tax records.

The Blanks will be moving to another Buckhead home they are renovating.

They are joining a trend among their income peers of investing in new homes.

Dac Carver, marketing director for Beacham and Associates, a luxury home broker in Buckhead, said nine homes with prices at $2 million and above sold in Buckhead during March of this year. Last year in March, only two homes in that price range were sold.

For the first three months of 2008, 21 homes sold for $2 million or more in Buckhead, compared to only eight in the first quarter of 2007.

In metro Atlanta, website Realtor.com now shows 57 homes for sale at prices of $5 million or more.

And even with dismal news sales reported for homes in lower price ranges across the nation, a recent American Express/Harrison Group survey of 1,800 wealthy individuals indicates that as many as 40 percent of the nation's wealthiest households intend to buy real estate this year. The survey showed that households with discretionary income of more than $1.35 million now view real estate as a bargain.

"It's where the smart money is right now," Carver said. "Prices are down and that's when the smart people buy."

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